Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 043123186
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Westford, MA, USA
- Phone
- 9786920927
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Housing Development, Construction, Management
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,542,295
- Expenses
- $1,184,653
- Assets
- $3,814,124
- Liabilities
- $358,420
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ELIZABETH GARBER (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- SHEILAGH CARLISLE (EXECUTIVE DI): $95,509 total reported compensation
- ELIZABETH GARBER (PRESIDENT): $40,744 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Seeking to put god's love into action, habitat for humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope to realize our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat for humanity of greater lowell adheres to a strict non-proselytizing policy and will not offer assistance on the expressed or implied condition that people must adhere to or convert to a particular faith or listen and respond to messaging designed to induce conversion to a particular faith.
What it reported doing in 2024
Homeownership program: families in need of a decent place to live build safe and affordable homes in partnership with us. Habitat houses are modestly sized. They are large enough for the homeowner family's needs, but small enough to keep construction and maintenance costs affordable. By using the labor of volunteers and prospective homeowners, employing efficient building methods, keeping house sizes modest, using donated construction materials and appliances, and issuing no-profit loans, habitat makes its house affordable for low-income families to purchase. Affordable homeownership helps create the conditions that free families from instability, stress and fear and encourage self-reliance and confidence. Studies show that strong and stable households are foundational to child development and growth. When a home fosters - instead of hinders - health and safety, families can flourish. Owning an affordable home also allows homeowners to lift up their entire family by saving for their futures and invesing in educational opportunities, bolstering job opportunities and career growth. During the fiscal year, habitat served people through its long-term homeownership program.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 54
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 69
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 51.8%; rating input score 52
- Program expense ratio: 66.9%; rating input score 67
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.58 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 23.2%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.22; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.5%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 51.8% of revenue deployed · 66.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $792K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $96K · 14 people listed
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 52/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.